


Men In Parks

by nilolay



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, DJL Park Prompt, First Meetings, M/M, POV Alternating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 09:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21134609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nilolay/pseuds/nilolay
Summary: There's a beautiful park right across the road from a beautiful bakery. There's a jogger and a croissant enthusiast.





	Men In Parks

There’s a new artisanal bakery. It’s crowded, because it has a very well curated Instagram presence. Shockingly, in this case the photogenic quality actually translates to genuinely delicious, meticulously crafted pastries. David has purchased a kaya croissant. If pressed, he doesn’t know what a kaya is, but he will try to surreptitiously google it while he makes you feel like the question was ridiculous in the first place. But they looked delicious in the display, and he just needs to sit down somewhere so he can verify it. He’s not going to take a photo of it, like everyone else in the bakery is doing. It is beautiful, though.

The new artisanal bakery is crowded, and there aren’t any seats, so David has to venture out. Luckily, there’s a park right across the street. It’s a very nice park.

—

There’s a very nice park just outside of the city centre. There are two small lakes with a well-kept (except for that one bit) running track figure-eighting around them. Depending on time and cloud-cover, different patches of the lake shimmer at different times, so you just have to be there to see what it’s gonna be. There are giant fig trees, a variety of local waterbirds, and _god_ are there dogs. Patrick takes himself around the track every morning, and it’s the best part of his day. Patrick is special among park-goers because he alone has mastered the polite balance between smiling at the dogs and smiling at the people walking them.

He comes to the end of his run, and approaches his favourite bench to stretch on and around. There’s a man at it. Ah well, his stretching won’t be too disruptive. It’s a pretty big bench.

—

There’s a sweaty man, all of a sudden, with one shoe propped up on the bench David’s found. If David looks up to give him the glowering look his behaviour warrants, David will have to reckon with the possibility that the man has noticed him taking a photo of his croissant. It was meant to be subtle, but the light and the background were so nice, it took a little time to do the scene justice. So instead he scowls down at his phone and croissant, coughs a little, then shifts them to the side furthest from the strange dirty shoe so he can cross his legs and gaze across the lake, nonchalant as anything.

—

The effortfully serene man looks like a painting, only it’s not the kind of man you’d paint in a park. Patrick’s art history education was limited but he’s fairly sure George Seurat didn’t go for graphic black and white sweaters on his models. He’s not staring, because that’s rude, and as we know, Patrick has impeccable eye-contact manners in the park. Besides, he’s busy stretching. But as he bends this way and that, his eye-line seems to remain focused this way and this. The man has picked up his croissant and is bringing it to his mouth. There’s an elegant performativeness to it right up until it reaches his tongue, and then there’s a completely unselfconscious primal relish to it. Eyes tightly shut, mouth open far wider than necessary, like a toddler. Patrick can’t contain a delighted little laugh.

—

David’s mouth is full, which is ideal in any circumstance except for when a stranger appears to be laughing at him and there is dignity to be defended. Instinctively he whips his head around to face the park bully as he chews as rapidly as he can to free his mouth to speak. The combination of the motions, the perfectly flaky pastry and the surprising handsomeness before his eyes has the unfortunate result of causing him to choke, and now the lightly panting bully looks less joyous and more concerned. But David saves it, flawlessly. It is clear that he was merely clearing his throat. The slight watering to his eyes is because of the sunlight.

“Yes? Can I help you?” David blithely enquires. 

—

“Help _me?_ I’m not the one choking.”

“Well, your heart rate seems very elevated.”

“Exercise will do that, ideally.”

“Oh is that what this is?” David gestures vaguely to the running path.

“What’s that you’re eating? Looks good.”

“Are you making a comment about my dietary habits in contrast to my exercise habits because you don’t know me _or_ my life and actually I do go to the gymnasium, thanks.”

“No! No, god, that’s, no. I’m just uh, hungry.”

“Well. It’s a croissant.”  
  
“Looks fancy.”

“It’s a kaya croissant.”  
  
“Of course. My favourite.”

David purses his lips. “Mm.”

“I’m Patrick."  
  
“That’s nice.”

“And…?”

“And…Irish?”  
  
“What’s _your _name?”  
  
“Oh, I don’t give my name to random sweaty men in parks. Well. Anymore. And never my real one.”

“What, you think Patrick’s my real name?”  
  
He gets a laugh for that one.

“Mm. In that case- David.”

“Hi, definitely-not-David.”

“Hi.”

“Well…I gotta get going. Meetings. And whatnot. I’ll let you finish your croissant.”

“Kaya croissant.”

“Nice chat.”

“Mm-hmm.”

—

It’s a shame the bakery is always so crowded, and the pastries are so good, and the park is so near, because David is going to have to start coming back on a regular basis.

**Author's Note:**

> I was getting Nice Chat In A Park fomo, so, tadah. I love this fandom. 
> 
> George Seurat's _A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte_:  
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/a-sunday-on-la-grande-jatte/twGyqq52R-lYpA?hl=en-GB
> 
> I have had a kaya croissant from an artisanal bakery across the street from the park that I jog in and reader, I do not know what it is.
> 
> Ever grateful to the muses.
> 
> Find me on tumblr: nilolay.tumblr.com
> 
> If you liked my work, may I humbly recommend Path to Paradise, Road to Ruin, my magnum opus. It's more accessible than it sounds! https://archiveofourown.org/works/20242900


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